Studio Katia blog hop winner
Posted: June 23, 2019 Filed under: Studio Katia 2 Comments
Denise BryantWow… gorgeous floral design and beautiful coloring!
Studio Katia birthday blog hop
Posted: June 14, 2019 Filed under: floral garden, grid stencil, it's your birthday, Studio Katia | Tags: Peerless Transparent Watercolors, Ranger Distress inks, Studio Katia 77 Comments
Hello and welcome to Studio Katia 3rd Anniversary Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from May Sukyong Park‘s blog. I am excited to be celebrating with Studio Katia and to be featuring this gorgeous stamp, ‘Floral Garden‘. It’s a beauty and perfect for a range of different techniques. This new release includes 5 new Clear Stamp Sets and 1 set of Coordinating Dies, 1 new Stand Alone Creative Die, 2 new Stencils and lots of new Embellishments!
I used the emboss resist technique for one panel and no-line colouring for another. The stamp is a large square so I had the option of creating a big square card or a smaller rectangle card with a portion of the stamped design. I embossed the outline stamp in gold powder on hot pressed watercolour paper then did all the painting with my Sennelier watercolours. I’ve talked about colour choices on the blog before especially about keeping the colour count low to keep things looking cohesive.
I started by painting the tulips in red straight from the pan but all the other colours are mixed, usually with a bit of the original red, that way they work well beside each other. I used a green paint mixed with a little red, a purple/red mix on the roses then a blue/purple mix on the tiny flowers.
I trimmed the panel down and matted it with gold cardstock to match the embossing then layered it on a panel stenciled with festive berries ink through the SK grid stencil . I added a sentiment in dusty concord archival ink using a little stamp from the new ‘Its your birthday‘ set.
The no-line watercolour panel I stamped in antique linen on hot pressed watercolour paper. I used distress inks as paint by pressing them face down on my glass mat. I used wild honey and carved pumpkin inks for the tulips then mixed some wild honey with festive berries for the roses. As I kept my panel in the stamp positioner while painting I was able to ink the roses lightly with festive berries after I’d done some painting and re-stamp the outline for added definition. I painted the little flowers in wilted violet ink and over-stamped with the same ink so the outlines would be a little darker. I used two greens (iced spruce and bundled sage) for the leaves mixing them into darker and lighter tones. The tiny bell flowers around the edges are painted in antique linen. I also blended antique linen around the edges of the panel.
The sentiment is from the same ‘It’s your birthday’ set and I love that pretty lettering! I stamped in monarch versafine clair ink, clear embossed then stamped again in versamark and embossed once more in clear powder to make it extra shiny. Thanks for joining me today; keep reading for all the ways to win during this blog hop which runs today and tomorrow. Studio Katia has provided a $25 gift certificate for me to give away. Just leave a comment below to be in the running.
For more chances to win visit all the stops along the hop. Your next stop is with the wonderful Laura Bassen. If you get lost you can find the full hop list below or visit Studio Katia Blog!
There will be a $25 Gift Certificate offered at each stop of the Blog Hop
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You & Me
Posted: June 12, 2019 Filed under: City stacks, Concord & 9th, Peerless watercolours, simple serif alphabet | Tags: Concord & 9th, Peerless Transparent Watercolors 4 Comments
This wonderful new C&9 alphabet stamp set arrived a few days ago and, oh the possibilities! I had only a little time to play with it today so I pulled out the delightful ‘city stacks’ stamps, also from Concord & 9th. I stamped in versafine onyx black ink and watercoloured with my peerless watercolour paints. Versafine is a pigment ink so it won’t react with water when I start painting over it.
The sky and the road I blended onto the panel with makeup brushes which was quite a bit quicker than painting it. I used broken china, scattered straw and wild honey distress inks for a sunrise look.
When I laid out the letters in my stamp positioner I wondered how long it would take me to get them lined up. I got them right on the second attempt! I slipped in a piece of acetate to do a trial stamping, realigned the few that needed it and then the next attempt was just right. The serifs at the top and bottom of the letters make it easy to line them up on the grid of my stamp positioner lid. Yay! I used part of a stamp from the ‘city stacks’ set to finish the sentiment at the bottom of the panel.
You’ll be seeing these letters again, and again. Count on it. And there are dies too, I didn’t use them on this card but it won’t be long.
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Color Trio Challenge winners
Posted: June 11, 2019 Filed under: Challenges 2 CommentsToday’s the day I get to announce the
Thank you to everyone who participated; there was so much inspiration in the link up. The Foiled Fox and I are happy to announce
Please contact The Foiled Fox to receive your $45 gift card for use in the Foiled Fox online store and feel free to post the badge below on your blog.
Here are the winning three colour cards: a stenciled beauty and an eyecatching masked dandelion
Inky floral background
Posted: June 7, 2019 Filed under: Catherine Pooler inks, floral background, My Favorite Things, The Stamp Market | Tags: Catherine Pooler inks, My Favorite Things, The Stamp Market 8 Comments
I’m still in yellow-orange-red mode, quite unusual for me. I can assure you the blues and pinks will return! I’ve been wanting to ink up the lovely floral background from The Stamp Market again ever since I gave it the rainbow treatment. With the stamp in the MISTI I stamped first with Catherine Pooler shea butter ink on hot pressed watercolour paper. Next I did partial inking with CP samba ink. As you can see I wasn’t particularly accurate with the second colour but I did try to apply it to flowers not leaves. I spritzed the stamp and stamped again. I switched over to leaves and inked them with CP eucalyptus ink, spritzed and stamped again.
I had managed to catch a lot of the leaves with the ink pad but not all so I switched techniques and pressed the eucalyptus ink onto an acrylic block and picked ink up with a brush to apply to the smaller leaves and stems on the stamp. This worked really well so I pressed the ‘rockin red’ ink on the acrylic block also and used a paintbrush to apply it to the centres of the flowers. There is quite of bit of bleed from one flower or leaf to the next but the overall effect is semi realistic.
I added black centres to the flowers with a black fine tip marker and they popped nicely so I decided on a black embossed sentiment too, it’s from MFT brushstroke expressions. When I embossed the black sentiment in clear powder it also stuck to the flower centres which I wasn’t expecting, giving them a little shine. At this point I was almost happy but not convinced the design was finished. It needed…a frame! I pulled out my new ‘stay-tion’ magnetic board and the black fine tip marker. Lining up frames and borders like this is one of the reasons I really like the new magnetic board. I lined up my panel with the grid on the board, held the panel in place with magnets then positioned the magnetic ruler across the panel ¼” from the edge. I was able to line up the ends of the ruler with the ¼” grid on the board and ruled a thin black line on each side. So satisfying to not mess that up!
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Feathers, CAS & calm
Posted: June 5, 2019 Filed under: Brusho, CAS, Catherine Pooler inks, Challenges, Concord & 9th, Feathered die set, Feathered stamp set, Leaf Canopy | Tags: Altenew, Brusho, Catherine Pooler inks, Concord & 9th 9 Comments
I finally got my act together enough to enter a challenge and not even in the last few minutes it was open! I just hosted a challenge with the Foiled Fox and we will be announcing winners in the next few days. I enjoyed visiting all the entries and was inspired by each card. Today’s card was inspired by the ‘Ombre’ challenge at CAS Mix Up and I will be entering it in the ‘Calm’ challenge at Casology as well.
Before I talk about this calm and clean and simple and ombre card I just want to thank those who joined the conversation on Monday about ‘bunchies’. I posted a photo on Monday of myself, aged 6, with my hair in ‘bunchies’ and asked what others called the two ponytail style. I was surprised to read they were known as ‘dog ears’ and ‘dust mops’ as well as the more common ‘pigtails’. One reader called them ‘bunches’ which is practically the same as me so I was not alone with that tag.
Back to the feather, I used the solid feather stamp from the C&9 Feathered set and Catherine Pooler inks to create the watercolour ombre look. The coverage and blending is just what I was after. Like some dye inks the colours continue to soak in and smooth out after stamping with the CP inks which is exactly what I needed for this look. I inked the whole stamp in ‘shea butter’ ink, stamped then inked two thirds in ‘bellini’ ink, spritzed and stamped, then finished by inking the tip in ‘rockin red’ ink, spritzed and stamped. The little spritz over the ink spread the ink on the stamp so there were no hard lines where one ink stopped or started.
I dry embossed the whole panel with the snowfall/speckles texture fade folder for a bit more visual interest and popped up the sentiment from the same stamp set. Did you know embossing folders are enjoying a rise in popularity these days? I don’t know if that is true or not, I just know they are around here! The CAS mix up challenge required ombre + stamping + my choice (embossing), so all boxes checked! There are a few metallic ombre looks featured on the challenge blog; I’ve never thought of metallic ombre but it is pretty fancy so I might have to give it a try.
My second card is not entering any challenges; it was made because I love pairing sectioned stamps with sprinkled brusho. I embossed the sectioned feather from the same C&9 set in gold three times on hot pressed watercolour paper, sprinkled sandstone and terracotta brusho powder over the top then spritzed water gently to activate the brusho. I added more brusho and spritzing several times and then moved some paint around with a paintbrush, not much just a few places so there would be a few more solid sections. I die cut the feathers then popped them up on a different dry embossed background, ‘weathered’ by Taylored Expressions. The sentiment is from the Altenew set, ‘leaf canopy’.
Click on the badges below to see what’s happening in the challenges I’m entering.
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Bunches and bunches
Posted: June 3, 2019 Filed under: Penny Black, stitched nested frames, together | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 10 Comments
I’ve got something bright and breezy for you today. Even though the flowers on the PB ‘together’ stamp look like agapanthus to me and even though agapanthus do not come in orange or yellow, I chose this colour scheme anyway. The grey days continue here so I’m stamping sunshine instead!
I worked in the stamp positioner so I could add a colour or two at a time and started by inking the centres of the flowers with festive berries, you could use the ink pads or the marker. I used the ink pad and wiped ink off any area where I didn’t want it. Around the festive berries I inked with ripe persimmon ink, spritzed the stamp and stamped on hot pressed watercolour paper. I wiped off the stamp then inked the outside petals in fossilized amber (my current fave yellow), spritzed and stamped again. Spritzing helps the colours blend and helps the ink give more solid coverage.
I inked the leaves in iced spruce because the time has come to hang out with other green inks; forest moss will always be special to me but there are other greens out there that need to be seen! I moved the panel and repeated the stamping to the left and to the right almost filling it with flowers. I added some orange and green splatter then die cut with the ‘PB stitched nested frames’ dies. The sentiment is inked in versafine clair misty morning ink because I thought the grey worked with the iced spruce leaves. The centre panel is popped up on a piece of foam for a bit of extra interest.
As I was choosing my sentiment with the words ‘bunches and bunches’ I was reminded of the word my mother used when she did my hair in two side ponytails. Up until grade 4 she did my hair every morning and it was usually ‘bunchies’! That was our name for the style shown below; I think we reserved the name ‘ponytail’ for just one. Did your mother do your hair in ‘bunchies’, if so what did you call them?
It’s quite the classic shot isn’t it? I guess the photographer told us to do that odd thing with our hands. I was six years old and my dress matched one my mother had.
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No-line summer glow
Posted: May 28, 2019 Filed under: Penny Black, summer glow | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 12 Comments
I’ve been doing quite a bit of no-line watercolour lately and this is one of my faves. I only wish that I had picked a different colour scheme; I’ve worked with this stamp before and used purple those times also. I have a rich burgandy giant iris in my garden (at least, I hope it is still in my garden) why didn’t I pick that colour scheme? I guess I will just have to do another one won’t I?
I used antique linen distress ink for my initial stamping and as you can see it has almost disappeared entirely. This technique is the focus of my next class here in Ottawa.
After stamping ‘summer glow’ on hot pressed watercolour paper I worked on one petal at a time and from the outside in with blueprint sketch and wilted violet around the edges and wild honey and spiced marmalade in the centres. I used peeled paint distress ink for the leaves. I used my glass mat as a palette for no-line watercolour and it works brilliantly; I pressed each inkpad face down on the glass and added a little water with a paintbrush. My mat is clear glass so I pop a piece of white paper underneath so I can see the inks’ true colours. I popped up the panel with adhesive backed foam on an embossed panel the size of my card base.
My irises have emerged despite the fact that the sun seems to only shine one or two days a week!
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Three colour leaf canopy – challenge reminder
Posted: May 24, 2019 Filed under: Altenew, Leaf Canopy | Tags: Altenew, Ranger Distress inks 6 Comments
I have been bombarding you with three colour projects lately partly because I have a challenge running with the Foiled Fox but also because I love the simplicity of working with only three colours. Today I’m sharing here and on the Foiled Fox blog. I picked an analogous colour scheme which means the colours are all side by side on the colour wheel. The result is harmonious rather than bold and contrasting. I used stamps from the Altenew set ‘leaf canopy’ for both cards. Before I started stamping I pressed three distress ink pads face down on my glass mat and spritzed water over the inks until they started to run together. I swiped my panel of hot pressed watercolour paper through the colours, chipped sapphire, stormy sky and shabby shutters creating a soft blended background. I dried the panel completely before putting it in my stamp positioner. I inked the solid leaf stamps with the same three colours, spritzed them so the colours bled into each other on the stamp then closed the MISTI lid onto my panel and kept it down for 5-10 seconds. When I lifted it I had soft blurry leaf images. Any areas with excess ink pooling on them were easily fixed with the corner of a paper towel to sop them up. Again I dried the panel with a heat tool before stamping the outline leaves in chipped sapphire ink. I used my favourite sentiment from the same set and embossed it in white on navy cardstock. I used the Avery Elle simple sentiment dies again to cut it out – I can’t stop using them, I guess you have realised that by now!
For my second card I switched one ink colour, instead of stormy sky I used shaded lilac so there are more purple tones in this one. I made the background the same way and did the stamping the same way but then took a bit of time adding water droplets strategically not in a splattery way. I wanted them to look random so I took care to place each one with a drop on the end of a paintbrush! I let them sit then absorbed the water with a paper towel leaving a pale circular watermark on the panel.
I kept this panel soft and dreamy and added a small sentiment in cobalt archival ink.
I hope this simple technique inspires you to play with three colours of ink and come up with a colourful panel of your own for the ‘Color Trio Challenge‘ on the Foiled Fox blog. There are some lovely cards linked there already, check them out then add your own.
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Blooming Tulips
Posted: May 22, 2019 Filed under: blooming tulips, Penny Black | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger archival inks, Ranger Distress inks 5 Comments
I just can’t stop serving you up three colour panels. This one is made up of green, purple and blue. Once again I used distress inks because if you’re blending, distress inks are always a good choice. In my last post I mentioned how I used archival inks along with the distress inks to give me a base image to stamp and paint over. I used archival ink on this card also but in a different way. It is so convenient having some archival inks in distress colours.
I began with a piece of hot pressed watercolour paper and pressed both the peeled paint and the seedless preserves ink pads down on my glass mat. I then spritzed a generous amount of water over the inks to dilute and spread them out. I swiped my watercolour panel through the ink then dabbed with a paper towel and dried with a heat tool to make a soft background for my stamped image.
With my stamp in the MISTI I inked the leaves in peeled paint distress ink and the tulips in seedless preserves. I added dabs of salty ocean ink to both the leaves and flowers, spritzed the stamp and stamped on the panel. I then blended with a paint brush which resulted in some variation of colour in leaves and tulips where the blue ink mixed with the main colours. I love how easy it was to get some variation with the salty ocean ink. Blue is a base colour for making green and purple so I knew it would blend nicely with both inks. With the panel still in the MISTI I was able to ink the tulips with dusty concord archival and the leaves with peeled paint archival ink and stamp some of the detail over the top of the blended colour. I used a black soot distress marker to darken the centre of the open tulip. To fill out the design a bit I did some masking and some partial inking to add another leaf and flower on the left hand side of the panel.A little stamp surgery on the thank you stamp from the PB ‘grateful sentiments’ set made it possible to have one word above the other tucking around the flowers.
If you have a recent three colour card on hand pop over to the challenge on the Foiled Fox blog and link it up. I would love to see it!
Heather Telford 
